We recently sat down with an intern at the Institute, Idun Nylén, a passionate 14 year-old student who was at the institute for two weeks. In addition to studying, she also practices gymnastics and plays the drums. Her favorite book is Looking for Alaska, written by John Green.
Why did you choose RWI to do your internship?
I want to become a lawyer, so in the beginning I wanted to apply for an internship in a law firm. But my dad knows someone that works in the Human Rights field, so he gave me the idea. In the end I decided to do the internship here because it is an opportunity to have a first contact with law different than that that can be learned in law firms and other companies.
What have you been doing at RWI?
I’ve been doing many different things. My supervisor has been Programme Officer David Eile, so I’ve been working with him most of the time. That way I became familiarized with the project in Africa that he’s working on right now. But other times I’ve been helping other colleagues from the Institute as well, so I got the chance to get an overview of what RWI is about.
As a 14 year-old, what do you think are the most important human rights for you?
I think the right to education is essential. Everyone should have the right to access education so that people have equal opportunities towards the labor market. Also, the right to freedom of expression is very important for me. When you’re 14 years old not many people care about what you say, and that is a mistake. We also have the right to express ourselves and be heard.
What have you learned from this experience?
I’ve learned a lot about other peoples’ situation regarding human rights violations and the ways RWI is trying to change that. Before I did this internship, my knowledge about human rights was mainly about equality and non-discrimination, but now I have the feeling I empathize more with other peoples’ rights. I think I got a deeper knowledge concerning what human rights is really about.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I want to enter law school, so fortunately in ten years I will be in Lund at the faculty of law. But I don’t know yet which field of law I want to specialize in. What I know is that whatever field of law I will focus on, I want to be successful.